De-icing device



June 7, 1960 J. K. GILES DEICING DEVICE Filed Oct. 22. 1958 ATTORNEY United States Patent F DE-ICING DEVICE John K. Giles, Rahway, NJ.; (2631 Locksley Place, Los Angeles 39, Calif.)

Filed Oct. 22, 1958, Ser. No. 769,007

4ClaimS. ((31.210-1'49) The present invention relates to a deicer device, and more particularly to a deicing device for removal of ice from a liquid flowed therethrough.

An object of the present invention is to provide a deicer which will remove ice particles carried in a liquid stream by changing the state of the particles from a solid to a liquid. e

Another object of the present invention is to provide a deicer which removes ice formed in a liquid fuel stream so that the fuel filter located downstream of the device will not become clogged with particles of ice and will remain in eifective operation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a deicer which will remove any ice particles in the fuel supply. stream associated with an internal combustion engine to'prevent failure" of thecarburetor located downstream of the device in the system. i .Still',.another feature of the "present invention is to provide adeicing device whichwill operate in response to a predetermined differential pressure thereacross caused by the formation of ice, and in accordance with ambient temperature conditions.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following description and drawings forming a part thereof and in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of the deicer of the present invention partly broken away and in section, and

Fig. 2 is a transverse view .of the rotatable member of the device.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral designates a deicer for the fuel system of an internal combustion engine, for example an aircraft engine, comprising a bolted flanged housing in which is disposed a rotatable screen or ring gear member 11. The upper portion of housing 10 adjacent the upper portion of rotatable screen 11 is a tubular member 12 provided with a liquid fuel inlet 13 and outlet 14 for passing fuel such as gasoline or kerosene therethrough. Inlet 13 is connected by means not shown to a fuel storage tank while outlet 14 discharges to the fuel filter of the fuel system which in turn communicates with the engine carburetor. Below tubular portions 15 and 16 forming tubular member 12, the lower portion of the housing is separated from the main flow of the liquid flowing through inlet 13 by the housing walls or bulkheads 17 and 18. These walls form a narrow slot or restricted passage along the mating line of the two housing bells or halves just wide enough to allow free rotation of the rotatable screen therethrough, while preventing an excess of fuel passing through member 12 from being diverted therefrom. The portion of the housing adjacent walls 17 and 18 is provided with enlarged cavities or heating compartments '19 and on each side-of walls 17 and 18 both of which form an integral part of the respective cavity.

Hot liquid for transferring heat to the segment of screen member 11 being rotated through the restricted passage between heating compartments 19 and 20 is sup plied by an oil pipe 22 having two branches on the end 2,939,582 Patented June 7, 1960 thereofleading to each compartment. An oil discharge line 23 having a branch in communication with the bottom of each of the compartments 19 and 20 is provided for. discharging the oil from the compartments. The source'of hot oil for the compartments is preferably from the crankcase. of the engine, with lines 22 and 23 communicating therewith. I

' A water compartment 24 is provided along the housing mating line below walls 17 and 18 adjacent both sides of the screento receive water that has been melted from the lower portionof the'screen as it is rotated between heating compartments 19 and 20.

It will be noted that an opening or space is left between the bottom of the heating compartment and top of the water compartment. Further, the compartment is bellows shaped or substantiallywider than its height to form a flat compartment. This is because it serves as an expansion chamber for the housing to relieve any stresses in the housing due to thermal expansion from the heating chambers.

An orifice line 25 is disposed in the bottom of the water compartment for draining the small quantity of water from the housing. The orifice line is preferably designed to permit approximately one percent of the total fuel'flow entering inlet 13'to be discharged therethrough including the minute amount of water melted from the ice particles; Ring member, 11 is preferably made of two split rings secured to each other and between which is-disposed a wire cloth stainless steel screen. The ring is prevented from scraping the inner walls of two housing bells by Teflon thrust rings 28 and 29 disposed in the grooves provided in the housing adjacent either side-of ring 11., Ring; 11 is supported for rotation by spur gears 30, as shown in Fig. 2, spaced apart around the ring rim in nylon or Teflon bushing bearings disposed in the housing. The lower spur gear is the driver gear for rotating ring 11 and is connected to the shaft of an electric motor 31. The motor is provided with a conventional start and stop control 32 actuated in response to a signal received from the differential pressure valve 35.

The upper part of the housing is provided with a bypass passage 33 therein extending around the upper rim of ring 11 and in communication with each side of the ring. A relief valve 34 in passage 33 is held closed during normal operation of the device by a compression spring and is opened when the differential pressure across the upstream and downstream sides of the screen 11 exceeds a predetermined value.

The differential pressure valve 35 is provided with lines 36 and 37 which communicate with the upstream and downstream sides of screen 11 and is connected by control line 38 to the motor control 32 to transmit a signal thereto for starting the motor to rotate the screen when the pressure drop across the screen exceeds apredetermined value, and for stopping the motor and screen motion when the pressure drop falls below a predetermined value. Difierential pressure valve 35 and motor control 32 are not part of the-invention but may be any well known devices commonly. used for these purposes. The build up of pressure on the upstream side of the porous filter screen is caused by water particles in the fuel freezing or forming ice which clogs the front side of the screen and restricts the flow of the fuel therethrough. When the differential pressure across the screen builds up sufficiently and exceeds the predetermined value for which the differential valve is set, valve 35 signals this to motor control 32 which in turn energizes the motor to rotate the spur gear 30 connected thereto to drive screen 11 at a relatively slow rate of speed, for example, 1.1 r.p.m. The ice particles adhering to screen 11 in tubular member '12 are rotated along with the screen down into the part of the housing adjacent wa1ls117 and 18. Simultaneously hot oil at approximately 180 F. from the engine crankcase system is flowed through line 22 into heating compartments 19 and 20 so that the small ice particles are melted and changed into a liquid state during the interval of time that the screen segment is rotated through therestricted passage between the heating compartments. These water particles then fall or run down the screen into storage compartment 24 where they are' drained from the deicer through orifice 25. The flow of oil through line 22 is controlled by a conventional bimet'allic plug valve 39 which actuates the valve into an open position to permit the flow of oil through the line when the ambient or atmospheric temperature drops to freezing. Thus, the present deicer when used in the fuel system of an internal combustion engine removes any ice formed from water in the fuel so that itwill not clog the fuel filter or carburetor located downstream of the deicer device.

Inasmuch as various changes may be made in the form, location and relative arrangement of the several parts without departing from the essential characteristics of the invention, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited except by the scope of the appended claims. What is claimed is: v

1. A deicer device for a fuel system comprising a housing consisting of two sections secured together along a common mating line, a ring gear disposed therein along the mating line, a filter screen carried within said gear passage to transfer heat indirectly to the segment of filter screen adjacent thereto, a water compartment formed by the housing below said passage and adjacent the bottom portion of the filter screen, and drive means for rotating said ring gear and filter screen whereby ice particles collected on the upstream side of the filter screen are melted in passing between the heating compartments and drain into the water compartment. 7

2. The deicer device of claim 1 wherein pressure control means are provided operatively connected to said drive means and responsive to the differential pressure A across said filter screen to start said drive means when the differential pressure exceeds a predetermined value and to stop said drive means when the differential pressure falls below a predetermined value.

3. The deicer device of claim 2 wherein said heating compartments are provided with a hot liquid supply line and flow control means are operatively connected thereto responsive to ambient temperature to permit flow of liquid therethrough when the temperature falls below freezing and to prevent flow therethrough when the temperature rises above freezing.

4. The deicer device of claim 1 wherein said water compartment comprises a fiat chamber, wider than the height thereof to permit expansion of the housing and is in spaced relationship with the bottom of said heating chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS, 

